From Furniture Retailer to Digital Trailblazer: How One Company Transformed Their B2B Business

porta Möbel's journey to becoming a leading eCommerce company is no accident, but the result of years of strategic transformation. porta Möbel, headquartered in Porta Westfalica, is one of Germany's leading furniture retail companies. With over 27 furniture stores across Germany and annual sales of around 1.34 billion euros in 2023, the company is a major player in the furniture industry.

Since 2019, foobar Agency has worked closely with porta Möbel to create a solid foundation for sustainable success in digital commerce. From the introduction of a new storefront based on Headless Commerce principles, through replatforming from SAP Hybris to Commercetools, to the implementation of a Composable Multi-Brand Commerce Platform – all these steps have not only earned us the eCommerce Germany Award 2024, but also created the foundation for innovations that deliver real value.

In the following, we describe how porta Möbel, in collaboration with foobar Agency and Google Vertex AI Search, achieved impressive success in just 8 weeks. With constantly changing user behavior, efficient search technology in the eCommerce environment is now indispensable. porta Möbel recognized this need and decided to replace its existing search technology to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Starting Point: Relatively High Costs and High Effort

porta Möbel faced the challenge that while its previous search technology delivered solid results, changing consumer behavior required constant ranking adjustments. Due to a shift in focus within the company, this effort no longer justified the benefits. These factors limited efficiency and made a more flexible solution with higher automation necessary.

The Solution: Google Vertex AI Search for Retail and foobar Agency

porta Möbel decided to implement a solution that promised solid results without major adjustments. The team relied on foobar Agency's expertise. In a precisely planned and executed project, the new search technology was implemented in just 8 weeks.

Cost Reduction: The switch resulted in significant savings on tool costs, as Google Vertex AI Search for Retail offers a flexible and transparent billing model. Efficiency Improvement: Thanks to Google Vertex's modern AI capabilities, manual effort was drastically reduced. The search technology now delivers better results out-of-the-box and minimizes the need for manual intervention. Optimized Personnel Deployment: Employees previously engaged in optimizing search results could now be assigned to strategically more important areas, improving overall productivity.

User Value

The migration was not only beneficial for porta Möbel. Users also benefited from improved user experience: even problematic search queries are now automatically optimized, increasing customer satisfaction and conversion rates. Furthermore, porta Möbel secures new innovation potential: the integration of Google Vertex AI Search for Retail opens new possibilities for further applications of AI technology within the company.

Why foobar Agency?

This success story would not have been possible without the long-standing partnership between foobar Agency and porta Möbel. Since 2019, we have supported porta Möbel in its transformation into a forward-looking eCommerce company.

"We are pleased to have completed this project together with foobar Agency – as we have done many times in recent years. foobar Agency's technical expertise and their deep understanding of our requirements enabled us to successfully complete this project within the specified timeframe and budget." – Philipp Hoffschildt, Head of eCommerce and Software Development at porta Group.

Outlook: Scalability and Innovation for the Future

The introduction of Google Vertex AI Search for Retail was just the beginning. The new search technology not only improves current search results but also opens up new possibilities for further innovation. As the search technology is part of Google's comprehensive Vertex AI platform, porta Möbel now has numerous use cases available to unlock additional potential. Thanks to the transparent billing model and the ability to scale quickly and cost-effectively, porta Möbel is now well-equipped for future growth.

Conclusion: A Complete Success

The switch to Google Vertex AI Search for Retail was a complete success – technically, organizationally, and financially. It demonstrates what is possible when you choose the right technology and the right partner. We at foobar Agency are proud to have accompanied porta Möbel on this journey and look forward to driving innovation together in the future.